Content and Copywriting are more popular now than they have ever been
and with the uprise in social media, Website Development, and Online Marketing, they are only becoming more so.
you want to become a Content Writer and make a sort of living off
It’s an awesome job that allows you to be your own boss, freedom to go about your day, and do pretty much whatever a 9-5 won’t, so long as you make the deadlines you are assigned.
But how does one get into Content Writing exactly?
Is there an advanced skill set with decades worth of writing experience needed?
None of the above!
While those abilities certainly help,r they aen’t the bare minimum for this gig. In this blog, I’ll give you the four points of the compass you’ll need to hit the path and avoid some pitfalls of learning to write content, lessons that I had to learn the hard way.
Pointing North - Do Your Research.
If your desire is to become a Content Writer and make a sort of living off of it, then you need to do research.
Take a few hours each day going through popular writers’ social platforms, websites, blogs, and that sort of thing. Visit Websites like Reddit and Medium, where there is a wealth of information that can help steer you in the right direction.
The main thing to remember is to not get burnt out.
It’s going to take time, and you won’t learn everything in a single three-hour google session. Believe me, I know. I spent hours in the day trying to find every last drop of information I could and was exhausted by the end.
Your biggest concern here is going to be the ‘get rich quick” and “make $XX in X amount of months” marketing that pops up like dandelions in a field.
Everyone has a course.
Everyone has a method that will get them into the next tax bracket by next month.
The hard truth of the matter is that isn’t how it works.
Can you spend the money and power through these courses? Absolutely. They will cost you an arm and a leg, but if you can afford it, that is 100% a strong avenue.
But most of us don’t have $1500 burning a hole in our pocket. Many are looking to build a hobby, or even a career in Content Writing and are just barely making it. Especially if you have no savings or backup plan.
So, time and note-taking are your best bet.
By the end of your research, you should have pages of notes on how to determine an audience, create a voice for a business or product, and things of that nature.
Now it’s time to…
Head South - Build a Portfolio
Much like a musician’s cache of playable songs, every Content Writer needs a Portfolio.
This is where you keep your best work, the top-of-the-line samples for potential clients, and current collaborators. So that means it has to be perfect right?
Again. Not really.
Look don’t get me wrong. It is important, and a well-designed portfolio will certainly make you the Belle of the ball for a potential job. But when you are just starting out, you aren’t going to have much material to work with.
You want a handful of samples that you can refine and present, that are satisfactory to start.
At this point in the game, it’s less about how precise your samples are, and more about having them. After all, a clean-looking landing page with one sample from that one paper you wrote in middle school isn’t too enticing to anyone.
The way to do this is by visiting the websites and social platforms of high-standing companies you may have an affinity for. You want to look over their written copy and designed content, to gain an idea of what their style is, then you can mockup your own sample. By researching their content, you’re learning how they frame their voice and the word flow that the company has in their own writing.
You’re gaining experience.
Once you’ve done this a few times, with a handful of products/companies, then it’s time to test yourself! Make up your own sample product and write copy for that. Do this three or four times and BOOM! You have a decent little portfolio.
Now, you may or may not be working on a website, if not, that’s ok. When you’re ready, a website or landing page is an amazing way to get traffic, but if you don’t have anything to drive those clicks toward, it’s really a glorified business card.
Until you do, you can use helpful websites like Clippings.me or Medium, which allows you to post and collect your writing in a single place for easy viewing!
Here’s East - Write Like Crazy
That’s it.
This is the easiest step.
Write as much as possible. That is the only way you’re going to get better. It was once described to me that the skill of writing is just like any other muscle, it grows weak when it isn’t used. Whether you’re mocking up new samples, jotting down a quick little story to change things up, or just creating a list of things, you should be writing.
Just write.
Where’s West - Learn to Send Pitches and Network
Here is a big one.
The hardest pill to swallow when I started out.
You have to market yourself like crazy, and you are your own brand in this game. Unless you manage to get in good with a writing agency. (Which I recommend, because you can learn a LOT.)
Even with an insane amount of luck, you aren’t going to just land your first client by sharing LinkedIn posts, you have to work for it. What this means, is learning how to write up pitches to send to potential clients, how to draft emails for cold contacts, and how to act in a Networking environment.
And each of those things is a completely different animal from the other.
Now many will tell you that the best way to Network is to get on every zoom room and group you can. Let me tell you, that is exhausting and you will burn out quickly - meeting dozens of new people daily, expending time and energy you don’t have, all in the hopes that you made your elevator pitch good enough that someone takes notice.
It gets old fast.
The better thing to do is to start locally. Find a few smaller networking groups in your area, and go in with your heart on your sleeve. Be honest with where you are at and what you are looking for. Chances are, you’ll be in the same room as someone who is in need of your writing services because they couldn’t string two words together with a ball of twine, or they know someone.
Best of all, you will end up meeting some new and amazing people from your area. Sometimes people you never would’ve met elsewise.
Now, eventually, that new car smell will wear off and you’ll need to start pitching.
For this, hopefully, you will have a clear and concise goal in mind for what service you are looking to provide, as well as some samples and writing experience, to back it up. Make sure when you create a pitch, you are making it personal and unique to the prospect, and not some copy-and-paste paragraph that they have seen before.
Take your time, do your research, and figure out what they need, then provide it for them.
That’s all there is to it.
The Final Compass.
To be honest, there are a lot more intricate parts to being a Content Writer, and I’m sure there are easier ways for each person to go about getting there. All I have are the lessons I’ve learned along my journey, and here I simplified them for you.
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